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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The (sea) grass is always greener on the other side

Throughout our sailing slog southeast from the Bahamas to Grenada, we enjoyed some beautiful and interesting areas. However, we had left our sailing friends behind and there were very few kid boats. We were really looking forward to getting to Grenada and getting Mark and Conrad some friends their own age.

Grenada delivered on the kid boats and social opportunities. And how. There is a great group of boat kids in Prickly Bay that are right around the same age as Conrad and Mark. They have participated in book club, a chess tournament, movie night, and good old fashioned playtime.

Kelly did a great chocolate tour at Belmont Estates.

We hosted our first boat kid sleepover. Mark and Alex stayed up much too late but they were outdone by Conrad and Noah who talked until 1 a.m. When they finally fell asleep, it was the parent's turn to stay awake: a violent squall tore through the anchorage and resulted in Matt (and lots of other cruisers) taking the dinghy to help the boat in front of us that dragged anchor onto some adjacent rocks. The winds clocked over 55 knots and several boats dragged (we were okay). Of course the kids were oblivious and did not wake up during the storm. By the way, the Rescue 1 boat out of Prickly Bay Marina provides a valuable volunteer service.

Rainbow the talking parrot was a favorite among the kids.

After several late nights in a row, including a rowdy Bingo* night and a send-off for one of the kid cruising boats, our whole family was exhausted. The kids were cranky. I was cranky. After a month of steadily moving the boat and being mostly on our own, staying put and landing smack dab into civilization has been an adjustment. All the camaraderie was fantastic but it was too much, too soon (except maybe for Matt). Change is hard, even when it's good.

Aziz at Options makes great shawarma and spiced rum,
and has an outsized personality that draws a loyal following.

Okay, I'm done complaining about the drawbacks of actually getting what I wished for. After a few low-key days, we'll be as good as new and ready to partake in the wonderful environment that the local business and cruisers have created. Depending on the weather, we may go back up to Carriacou for the regatta and to see our friends on Del Max.

*Bingo night at Prickly Bay Marina is quite an experience. If you get Bingo and there are other winners, you have a dance off to see who gets the prize. Darren, the manager and emcee, dryly mocks Bingo winners and makes people run up on stage to get goofy raffle gifts such as adult diapers and goats (yes, live ones). But it's not just silly stuff: there are significant cash awards, which draws a crowd of locals, University students, and cruisers.